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Shelter Spotlights
- 1. "Must See" Shelters
- 2. Sweep Program Summary
- 3. "Putting a Roof Over Rover's Head (Operation Kindness, Carrollton, TX)"
- 4. New and Improved in New Hampshire
- 5. Off-Site and On Target (Michigan Humane Society)
- 6. Juvenile Inmates Take HEART (Rehabilitation of Juvenile Inmates)
- 7. "The Humane Society of Yates County, Penn Yan, New York"
- 8. "Phoenix Rising (Chenango County SPCA, Norwich, NY)"
- 9. "The 'Burbs (NMHP, Salt Lake City, UT)"
"Strictly Volunteer (West Milford Animal Shelter Society, West Milford, NJ)"
Julie Morris, VP, National Shelter Outreach, ASPCA
STRICTLY
VOLUNTEER
The West Milford Animal Shelter Society (WMASS) in West Milford, NJ, is one of the warmest, friendliest animal shelters in the country. And the fact that it is a 100 percent volunteer-operated municipal facility makes it quite unusual in the world of animal sheltering.
The WMASS was formed in 1976 out of a desperate need for humane
treatment of the animals sheltered at the municipal facility.
Cats in particular were largely ignored by the township. For the
next 18 years, WMASS volunteers worked side-by-side with paid
animal control officers to provide labor, food, supplies and
medical care for the animals at the facility. In 1993, conflict
between WMASS and the municipal employees escalated to the point
that WMASS went public and wrote a letter to the local newspaper.
This was stage one in what would become the hottest issue in the
township's history.
Over the next seven months the controversy continued. Each week,
animal shelter issues were prominently featured in the local
newspaper. Finally, WMASS won the contract for complete
responsibility for all animals at the facility, and animal
control's involvement was restricted to providing licenses,
summonses and stray animal pick-ups.
The shelter has around 25 volunteers, with a core group of 10 to
12 people who volunteer at least one day each week. Bettina
Bieri, the president and secretary who in real life is a
certified public accountant, assumes all of the executive
director duties. Doris Kohls, the health officer, volunteers four
days a week from 8 A.M. to 3 P.M., then goes home to care for her
own animals before heading to her full-time job as a veterinary
technician. Carol Grandmougin, a business analyst, maintains the
WMASS's Internet presence, organizes the annual Walk-A-Dog-A-Thon
and makes sure that every dog at the shelter has a blanket.
Bieri, Kohls and Grandmougin are just three of the dedicated
individuals who make WMASS a success.
The WMASS of 1997 is an amazing operation. The annual operating
budget is a paltry $50,000 including capital improvements.
Veterinary care makes up the largest expense, and without the
generous assistance of Ringwood Animal Hospital, the cost would
be at least three times as much. The shelter is open seven days a
week to receive approximately 1,000 animals annually, about half
of whom are cats. More than 80 percent of the animals are adopted
with about a 95 percent spay/neuter compliance rate.
In its brochure, WMASS states, "We believe there is a lot more to
managing an animal shelter than feeding and cleaning." Indeed,
one visit verifies this claim. Dogs are walked four times a day
and every dog has a blanket. Ozzie, an incredibly sweet pit bull,
even had his own hammock on a recent visit. Dogs have access to a
large outdoor exercise area and their own wading pool for hot
summer days. Cats have their own "jungle habicat," a separate
indoor/outdoor cat housing complex with plenty of natural light,
multiple levels of shelving for lounging and plenty of toys and
scratching posts. In the last year, WMASS has added a cat room
where every cat has his or her own window, an isolation room and
an examination room for incoming animals.
Not one to rest on her laurels, Bieri has written an action guide
for The ASPCA entitled, "Friends Groups and Municipal Shelters:
Working with and Improving." Shelters and individual
humanitarians who want a copy of this guide should contact the
address shown below.
Readers who wish to support the efforts of WMASS can join as a
Sponsor-A-Pet participant. For $50 a year you will receive
photographs of the animals and updates concerning their
activities throughout the year. Rest assured that your entire
contribution will benefit the animals directly at this strictly
volunteer-operated shelter. To be a sponsor, write to: WMASS,
P.O. Box 72, West Milford, NJ 07480; or call (201)
728-2859.
Shelter
staffers wishing to share news of special programs or resources
with readers should contact:
ASPCA National Shelter Outreach, 424 E. 92nd Street, New York, NY
10128-6804
ASPCA Animal Watch- Fall 1997
© 1997 ASPCA
Courtesy of
424 East 92nd St.
New York, NY 10128-6804
(212) 876-7700
www.aspca.org
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"Working Hard at ""No-Kill"" (Humane Society of Gallatin Valley, Bozeman, MT)"
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